Dayton Amateur Radio Association

      home of W8BI

The lights are always on and the bands are open

Dayton Amateur Radio Association

      home of W8BI

The lights are always on and the bands are open

6619 Bellefontaine Rd
Dayton, OH 45424

Welcome …

We are one of the most active and respected amateur radio organizations in the country

Our mission is simple: to educate, serve, and grow the amateur radio community while having fun doing it. Whether you’re chasing contacts around the globe, building your own rig, or lending a hand during a local emergency, you’ll find a welcome home with DARA.

Come join us — and be part of a tradition of innovation, service, and friendship that spans nearly a century.

 


Upcoming Events

DARA Calendar and list of other local events of interest to HAMs.

General Membership Meetings – The club meets at 7:00 p.m. every first Friday of the month, except for July and August.
The meeting in September occurs the Friday AFTER Labor Day.
The meetings are held at the Greene County Fairgrounds, 120 Fairgrounds Rd. Xenia, OH 45385

 

Who we are

The Dayton Amateur Radio Association is an association of radio amateurs, organised for the promotion of interest in Amateur Radio communications and experimentation, for the establishment of networks to provide communication in the event of disasters or other emergencies, and for the advancement of the radio art and of the public welfare DARA is an incorporated association chartered under the laws of the state of Ohio, and is an exempt organization under the Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986. Its affairs are governed by a Board of Directors, whose voting members are elected every year by the general membership.

DARA is the sponsor of the Dayton Hamvention ® and earns its operating revenue from this event. The funds are used for scholarships, education, disasters and public service events, the 10 monthly editions of the award winning “RF Carrier” newsletter, upkeep of the various repeaters and membership activities

To Join DARA (or Renew)

Join Here
News

websdr.org

Oct 1, 2025

If you haven't tried SDR radio or never heard of it you need to go to this website and enjoy SDR radio. ...

Thursday Night Group

Sep 23, 2025

Evert Thursday Night ... DARA Clubhouse, 6619 Bellefontaine Rd. Dayton, OH 45424.  There is no presentation...

Get Licensed!

DARA offers free classes to prepare you for your license, then free exams to get certified. Most people start with the Technician class.

Classes

Free Technician, General and Extra courses.
Textbook extra.

View class schedule

Exams

Free walk-in exams, held bi-monthly. A $35 FCC fee applies for new licensee’s.

View exam details

Dave Kalter Youth DX Adventure

The record-breaking Dave Kalter Youth DX Adventure for 2025 is complete with 9,016 contacts. Everyone made it home safely, bug-bitten, sunburned, and exhausted! It was quite a successful trip with 4 youth, 2 parent/grandparent, and 2 trip leaders. What a great crew as the youth were very dedicated and spent a lot of time in the operator chair and giving each other breaks. At times, we had four radios on the air, but most of the time, only three. Continuous operations ran from 9 a.m.-9 p.m. on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Monday, they operated from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. before going sightseeing. The plan was to operate from 4 p.m.-8 p.m. that evening, but we experienced a station issue caused us to go QRT. Luckily, it was easy for Uli, DL8OBQ, our station representative to fix but we needed to start packing (Images below).

More Information on Youth DX Association

Resources

 

Area Ham Radio Clubs

National Amateur Radio Organizations

Area Repeaters (2m & 70cm)

⌘ REPEATER DIRECTORY
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Useful Links

  • DXing.com Ham Radio Links: Offers a concise introduction to the development of amateur radio with informative links.
  • DXZone: a comprehensive online resource and web directory dedicated to amateur (ham) radio and shortwave listening, providing links to news, equipment, software, technical information, and communities related to radio communication.
  • EchoLink: A software-based system that allows licensed amateurs to communicate over the internet using streaming audio.
  • eHam.net:A resource website for amateur radio operators.
  • FT8/FT4: weak-signal digital communication modes used by amateur radio operators to make reliable contacts over long distances, especially under poor radio conditions.
  • Hamvention: The largest annual gathering of ham radio operators in the US.
  • PI Ham Apps: Raspberry Pi applications and projects for Hams
  • Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation - AMSAT: Information on satellite communications in ham radio.
  • Remote Ham Radio: Allows licensed amateurs to operate remote radio stations.
  • QRZ: Is a popular amateur radio website that serves as a global database for amateur radio call signs. It is a central hub for the ham radio community, offering a wide range of services beyond just a call sign lookup tool.
  • QTH.com:A source for classified ads related to ham radio equipment.
  • Winlink: A global radio email system that uses amateur radio frequencies.

Magazines and Retailers

QRZ callsign lookup:


Callsign lookups provided by qrz.com